Testing Your Metal
by Faith's melody
Summary: When Danny comes across a cursed sword, Danny, Sam, Tucker and Jazz set off on an epic adventure to place it in the one place where it won't harm anyone else. It may be more difficult than expected with the curse that is slowly overpowering Danny.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I don't know why I'm writing this.

It's not like I'm going to forget it. It wasn't like any of the obstacles I've had to face before. And now we're back home and everything is back to normal. Or as normal as my life could possibly get.

Maybe that's why I'm writing this. No one talks about it. To them it was just another adventure where I had to do something to save everyone. But they weren't there for all of it. They don't know what I went through. And I'm not telling them.

So then why am I writing this? What am I going to do with it after I'm done? Send it in and try to get it published as some great work of fantasy with some moral about good and evil? No. I think I'm writing this just for me. So, in the future, I can go back and remind myself not to make the same stupid mistakes again. Remind myself what I've learned and why I fight.

Everyone needs to be reminded of their faults at times. I'm not going to be deceived again. And I think I need to just tell someone. Even if it's just the blank paper in front of me. I don't care if the person I tell is listening. I'm just glad I got out of this alive and with my soul intact.



You know what frustrates me about girls? They're like…like a pound cake in a hot oven. If you open the oven too soon by letting them know you like them-or something horrible like that- you get a tortilla. My problem is I'm not much of a cook.

"How was it?" Sam asked as I joined them where they had stopped to wait for me on our walk home. Sam Manson was one of my best friends, but she was the reason for my frustration with girls. I'd liked her for a while. I'd only admitted it to myself last year, but after thinking about I realized that I had liked her before that. We were juniors now and I still hadn't had the courage to say anything. I just didn't know how to go about it. We were best friends. How could I do it without ruining our friendship?

"It was just the Box Ghost, Sam," my other best friend, Tucker Foley, replied. "Since when has he ever caused anything more than a nuisance?"

"I'm fine, Sam." I reassured as she sent a glare Tucker's way. "Nothing to worry about."

She relaxed and changed the subject. "So what's the plan for this week-end?"

"Jazz is coming home today. My family is going to the airport to pick her up right when I get home. I might be able to do something with you guys later tonight." I explained.

"Why is she coming home?" Tucker asked.

"Spring Break. I'm surprised Jazz doesn't stay there. She loves college."

"Well, whatever the reason, let's just hope no ghosts show up while your gone," Sam remarked.

"The airport isn't that far away. I don't think it will be too much of a problem." We turned the corner to see my parents outside the house waiting for me. The RV looked ready to go.

"Come on, Danny!" Mom called. "We don't want your sister to have to wait for us at the airport."

"I'll see you around guys," I said as I sped up a little towards my house. I waved to them as they said their own good-byes.

"You happy to see your sister again?" Mom asked as I climbed into the RV.

"Yeah." Why wouldn't I be? She could be annoying at times, but, ever since I learned that she knew my secret, things have gotten better. I just wished she wouldn't worry about me. I can take care of myself.

The airport was forty miles away and I had to sit through mom and dad talking about things that I particularly wasn't interested in. Mainly ghost related topics which wasn't surprising. Jazz's flight had come in early so she was already there when we got there. I'm kind of glad because it made our stay there a lot quicker. The security guards were giving my parents suspicious looks. I think the hazmat suits made them uneasy.

The ride home was spent with Jazz talking about her classes this semester, new friends, and just stuff in general. I got the feeling she wanted to talk to me, but that would have to wait until mom and dad were out of earshot.

We were about five miles outside of town when a bang was heard outside the car and a bullet flew through our windshield.

It, thankfully, flew past everyone's heads, but it hit the metal interior of the car and ricocheted off. We had all been thrown forward as Dad hit the breaks. I quickly reached over and grabbed onto Jazz, turning us both intangible before the bullet flew past us and came whizzing back up front. It hit the many controls the RV had and bounced off again, finally leaving out Mom's window.

Mom gave a small yelp as the window shattered; her arms came up trying to protect her face.

"Maddie!" Dad cried. He leaned toward her but she brushed his concern aside.

"I'm fine, Jack." She wasn't fine. I could see blood on her hand when she pulled it away from her face. I cursed myself for not being able to make sure she hadn't been hurt. I should have been able to do something. And now that I was thinking about it, there were probably hundreds of things I could have done. If only I'd thought of them.

I made Jazz and I tangible again as Jazz asked, "What was that?"

"A ghost!" Dad exclaimed as he got out of the car. The three of us followed him, being mindful of the glass on mom's side.

"That was a bullet, Dad." Jazz pointed out. "I don't think ghosts shoot bullets, or carry guns for that matter."

I stayed quiet. I'd seen quite a few things that you wouldn't expect ghosts to have. A motorcycle, a guitar, cursed jewelry, the list went on. For all I knew, a ghost had been the one to shoot that bullet.

"It may not be a ghost, Jack. This may be something for the police, not us."

At that moment, another loud bang was heard down the street. We were on the very outskirts of town. A few warehouses were the only things that surrounded us.

"Kids, get in the Assault Vehicle!" Mom ordered. "We're going to see what's going on."

I needed to see what was going on, too. If it was a ghost and my parents couldn't take care of it then it would be up to me. I quickly climbed in and Jazz followed, watching me as I transformed into Danny Phantom. "What are you going to do if it's not a ghost?" She asked.

I glanced at her. "Makes sure no one gets hurt." And then I quickly rose into the air and went through the vehicle's roof.



There weren't any ghosts. Three men were chasing two others outside one of the warehouses a little down the street. Mom and Dad had not gotten there yet.

I was surprised to see that one of the people they were chasing was old. He looked to be in his seventies. His partner was a young man in his twenties, trying to help the other and they ran around corners, dodging bullets.

The older one clutched something close to his chest. I paused as whatever he was carrying reflected the sunlight for a brief instant. I'd say that maybe they had stolen something, but the men chasing them looked anything but policemen.

The older one wasn't quick enough and the other-his grandson, maybe-cried out in alarm as he was hit in the back. He staggered and fell to his knees. I cursed myself for not acting sooner and charged up an ecto-blast.

"Hey," I called and shot the ground in front of them to make sure I had their attention. "Leave them alone!"

I did get their attention, and they stopped and glared up at me. One even fired at me, but I went intangible. "Go away, ghost!" One of them called. "This doesn't concern you."

"You're shooting at people!" I yelled at them, giving them a glare. "And you're putting others at risk. It does concern me!"

I glanced over at the other two. The old man was trying to give the younger one what was in his hands. I still couldn't make out what it was, but I watched as the other finally gave up trying to get the old man to stand up and took it. He said something and then took off.

One of the three had seen the exchange also and gave a snarl, bringing up his gun to fire at the young man. "No!" I cried out and made all three jump away as I fired another ecto-blast at them. The one with the gun, however, jumped forward instead of back like I had been hoping and ran after the other. Before I could prevent it, I heard him fire.

The young man had reached a fence that encircled an adjacent warehouse and had thrown the thing over before attempting to climb himself. He was just swinging over the top when the shot was fired and the bullet hit his leg. He lost his balance and fell back down to the ground. I dove down in front of him and threw up an ectoplasmic shield. I had no clue whether the shield would work for human weapons, but it worked. I glanced over at the old man. He was now lying face first on the ground, his blood staining a large part of his shirt. I couldn't tell if he was alive.

My anger boiled. What was so important to them that they had to go around killing people? I tried to keep my anger in check. A better question would be what I was going to do now. I couldn't just suck them into the Fenton Thermos like I do with all the ghosts I fight. What was I supposed to do? Stand here with my shield up until they got bored and finally left?

Then a shout from around the corner got their attention and they stopped firing to look behind them. That was Dad's voice. My spirits lifted as I heard my mom's voice next.

"Over here, Jack! Hurry!"

The men looked at each other. They realized reinforcements were coming. There was some unspoken decision and then they turned and ran through the empty field that was behind the warehouses. I relaxed and took my shield down, but quickly went invisible when my parents skidded around the corner.

Mom put a hand over her mouth. A large gash from her shattered window was still bleeding. She would probably need stitches. "Oh my gosh!"

I moved out of the way as each of them went to someone. My shoulders slumped when Mom announced that the old man was dead. Dad already had picked up the other, proclaiming that they would get him to hospital as soon as possible. He tried to say something, but my dad was still talking and he gave up, glancing back at the fence.

I realized that whatever the two had had was still there. I turned, curiosity getting the better of me, and I slipped through the fence.

The thing that was on the ground caught the sunlight again and I looked down to see a sword. I gaped at it. The blade was made of silver and the hilt was made of gold, inlayed with several jewels. It looked old. The blade was chipped in several places, showing the copper beneath the silver coating.

Maybe the two really had stolen it. I'd expect something like this to be in a museum. I hadn't heard about any robberies. Why would someone want this so badly? And why would they risk their own lives to keep it away from them. Shaking my head to clear it, I reached down and picked it up.

The first feeling I got when I touched it was repulsion. I almost dropped it. Then a surge of adrenaline ran threw my body as I hefted it. The sword wasn't heavy at all like I had expected it to be. I could see my reflection as I examined it. The jewels on the hilt glinted at me, and for a second I felt like I was being watched. I glanced around. My parents were gone already which meant I should probably start heading back so I got there before they did. But no one else was there. The three men from before had fled and were already gone.

I shook the feeling away as I rose into the air. I gave a small smile as I glanced back down at the sword. Stolen or not, it was still cool, and I couldn't wait to tell Sam and Tucker.

**Disclaimer**: Danny Phantom is owned by Butch Hartman and I just feel honored that he lets us use his characters for our enjoyment. Thank you, Mr. Hartman.

**Please tell me how I did. This is the first time I've worked with first-person, so I would really like your thoughts. **

**Reviews make miracles.**

**Faith's melody. **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I never got to talk with Sam and Tucker that night. Mom called the police and they arrived to check out what had happened. Mom was sent to the hospital with the guy who had gotten shot in the leg. I was right, she did need stitches. The police wanted my parents to come down to the station to help see if they give them any information that might be helpful. They even asked Jazz and I a few questions, but, since I supposedly hadn't been there, they weren't very concerned with us.

I didn't show Jazz the sword. I knew I would just get a lecture about how it wasn't mine. That is was dangerous and I should find where it did belong. I knew all that, I didn't need her to tell me. At least Sam and Tucker would appreciate it. Sam would probably side with Jazz on returning it-and I was going to-but I didn't have a doubt that they would think it was cool, too.

By the time I got home I was exhausted. Keeping the sword invisible all that time along with the traumatic events had worn me out. The only thing I wanted was my bed and smiled as I closed the door to my room and plopped down on it. I glanced at the sword next to me once it became visible again as soon as I took my hand off it. Maybe I should move it off the bed. I didn't want to roll in my sleep and skewer myself on it. But I was just too tired. I'd try to find some hiding place for it in the morning I decided as I closed my eyes.

And then my ghost sense went off.

I groaned. Why now?

At least tomorrow was Saturday. I could sleep in. Without moving I turned into my alter ego and lifted lazily off the bed. I glanced at the sword again. I wondered how intimidating I would look with it. And if it was one of the ghosts I knew then it could possibly surprise them enough for me to get this over with quickly. I smiled at that thought and grabbed the sword before phasing out of the room through the ceiling.

I suddenly felt a lot more alert now. It was probably the chilly bite the night had to it. It was only march and the temperature still plunged drastically at night. I lifted the sword up as I twirled around, looking for the ghost. Again, the sword was lighter than I expected it to be. But, I reasoned, I was stronger in my ghost form.

Ironically, it was the Dragon Ghost. I glanced down at the sword, a picture of me as a medieval knight going up against the dragon produced a chuckle from me. My imagination went on to where I slayed the dragon and the princess-who looked a lot like Sam-ran up and threw herself into my arms.

I was called out of that pleasant image by the ghost's roar as it flew over the city. What is she so stressed about this time? I shook my head, probably the same thing. Ghosts couldn't be reasonable. Always fixated on the same thing.

I quickly took up pursuit. The dragon stopped as I sped past it to block its path.

"Sorry, Puff, but a visit to the human world is invitation only." The dragon growled at me menacingly and spit out a blast of green flames which I dodged. "Don't have one? Well, you're just going to have to go back home to where you came from."

It was then that I realized I hadn't grabbed the Fenton Thermos. Inwardly cursing at myself, I dodged another jet of flames. The dragon charged and, as I maneuvered out of the way, I wracked my brain for a way to get the ghost back in the portal. I got in a defensive posture as the dragon turned around again, letting out a loud roar. The sword came up and the dragon paused as he stared at it. I smirked and switched to a position that would show off the sword more. Maybe a human sword wouldn't be able to hurt a ghost, but my attempt at looking intimidating seemed to be working. The dragon had become more edgy.

The dragon shook off its nervousness and charged again. I clumsily swung the sword at it and the dragon swerved to miss it. I quickly took a hand off the hilt and shot an ectoplasmic beam at it. It gave a roar as the beam struck and soared away a few yards. It turned around and tried another charge. I swiped the air again, but, as the dragon moved away, its tail caught me by surprise. I was flung through the air, disoriented. I finally figured out which way was up, but when I turned to look at the dragon, I saw it trapped in a similar beam that came out of the Fenton Thermos. I followed the dragon with my eyes and watched it disappear in another thermos. The person with the thermos wore a fashionable red suit and hovered on a hi-tech board a little ways off.

Wonderful. Valerie had figured out how to use her thermos. That was just what I needed.

At the very least, my dragon problem was dealt with. But now Valerie brought up one of her guns and leveled it on me.

"Where did you get the new toy, ghost? Steal it from some museum?"

She didn't even give me time to respond. She fired her gun and I dodged out of the way, moving out of the way of several more blasts as I flew towards her. I dodged one more and then dived downward, flying under her hoverboard.

I'm not quite sure what possessed my actions. My plan had been to turn around in the air and fire a blast at the underside of her hoverboard. Instead, I lifted up the sword and skimmed it up against the board's underside. I barely had flown out from under her and turned around when I heard her scream. Valerie was dropping through the air. From my vantage point, I could see a long slash in the board's underside as it twisted in the air.

There was another scream and I dove for Valerie, catching her by the ankle. I lowered her to the ground safely a few feet from her slashed hoverboard. I also saw her thermos a few feet away. She had obviously dropped it when she had fallen.

"I'll be taking that," I stated as I walked over and picked it up.

"Give that back," Valerie demanded as she stood up, a gun was already staring me down.

"I can't do that." I immediately went intangible and slipped into the ground, so I didn't hear Valerie's inevitable shout of outrage.

It was a short trip back to my house. I sent the ghost back into the Ghost Zone before slipping back to my room. I transformed back and shoved Valerie's thermos under my bed with other junk that had collected there. I glanced down at the sword as I shoved it under the bed with the thermos. For the first time it occurred to me that a sword should not have been able to do that to Valerie's board. It looked like it had been made well. It should have been pretty durable. And I had no idea what I was doing at the time. I brought the sword back up and ran a finger tenderly over the blade.

The edge sliced into my finger and I yelped, jamming it in my mouth on impulse. Okay, it was sharp. A lot sharper than I would have guessed considering how old it probably was. It was still a little strange, but I decided not to ponder on it. Why question what had happened when it had helped me in the end anyway? I put the sword back under the bed. I'd have to find a more secure place for it than that. Mom was known to come in and tidy up my room since I rarely had the time, or the will, to do it.

But I'd do that in the morning. A wave of exhaustion hit me and I yawned. I crawled back into bed, not caring if I was in the clothes I'd worn that day. My head hit the pillow, and I was out.



"So what's this big surprise?" Sam asked as she walked inside my room with Tucker and I closed the door.

Smiling broadly, I pulled out the sword from my bed and brandished it. "Look at this!"

"No way!" The exclamation came from Tucker. Sam stared at it as she took a step back.

"I found it yesterday," I explained. "This was the thing the two had been trying to keep away from the three with guns." I had already briefed them about that over the phone. I'd felt the need to surprise them, though, and be able to see their faces.

Tucker reached forward, but I kept it out of reach. "It's pretty sharp, Tuck." I showed him my finger. You could still see where the sword had made a small cut.

"So it's dangerous then," Sam remarked. For some reason, Sam didn't seem as excited about the sword as I thought she would be. My shoulders slumped in disappointment. She continued on. "You're not keeping it, are you?"

Oh, come one, Sam," Tucker cried exasperated. "It's just a small cut. It's not like he's missing a limb or something."

"I-I don't know." I answered Sam's question. I figured the two had stolen it from a museum or something else. It's probably pretty valuable. If it's not stolen, though…"

"You could use it for ghost-hunting," Tucker chimed in,

I gave the two a smile. "I already have. That Dragon Ghost got out last night. Then I had a run-in with Valerie."

"And?" Tucker prompted.

"The ghost was pretty spooked, and I shredded her board with it." I boasted.

"It'll only weigh you down," Sam interjected. "That has to be heavy."

"It's not," I assured. I held it out towards her for her to see for herself, forgetting for a moment that I had rejected Tucker's plea to hold it earlier. Sam backed away from it.

"I don't want to touch it." I looked at her, confused. Tucker looked at me eagerly; ready to prove my point even if Sam wouldn't. However, there was a knock on my door. Before I could do anything, the door opened and Jazz stepped in.

"Danny, I thought we could…what's that?" I groaned. I really didn't want a lecture.

"I found it, okay? And I'm going to return it to wherever it needs to be returned. And I promise to be careful with it. Did I cover everything?"

"…Okay. Why are you getting so defensive?"

I gaped at her. "I'm not getting defensive! I just didn't want to have to go through a lecture. That's what you were thinking, right?"

Jazz gave the sword a contemplative look. She looked at it really hard. I wasn't sure what she was trying to get from it, though.

"Never mind, Danny," she spoke. "Just promise me you'll never make me touch it."

I blinked at her. She was the second person who had expressed that opinion. What was wrong with people? It was just a sword! Maybe it was a girl thing.

"Fine. You don't have to touch it. Why did you come in her anyways?'

"I wanted to ask if you would like to go to the movies. Mom and Dad suggested we do something in celebration for me coming home, or something like that. I figure that the movies are dark enough a place that I won't be embarrassed by them that much. Sam and Tucker can come along."

I sighed. Why not. If no ghosts came then this would be a rare occasion where I actually got some leisure time.

"Sure, but I get to pick the movie."

"Deal," she agreed. "Just leave the sword here."

"Of course, I'm leaving the sword here," I grumbled and turned to put it back under my bed, reminding myself that I needed to find a better spot for it. I glanced back at the bed one more time before leaving the room with the others.

**Not the best chapter, but things will start building up, I promise. I'm disappointed with the length, too, but that's where it needs to end. Not much I can do about that, I've already paced the story out.**

**Reviews make miracles.**

**Faith's melody**


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